Direct attachment of acoustical suspension runners to metal deck roof

ABSTRACT

A conventional corrugated deck material is used with many roof structures. A hook structure is provided on a conventional suspension runner for a suspended ceiling system. This hook structure engages the flutes of the corrugated roof deck to hold the suspension runner in position. The suspended ceiling system is then fastened to the suspension runners.

United States Patent [1 1 Ollinger et al.

[451 May 7,1974

[ DIRECT ATTACHMENT OF ACOUSTICAL SUSPENSION RUNNERS TO METAL DECK ROOF [75] Inventors: James C. Ollinger; Kenneth L.

Wasson, both of Lancaster, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Armstrong Cork Company,

Lancaster, Pa.

[22] Filed: Nov. 8, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 304,756

[52] US. Cl 52/481, 52/22, 52/482 [51] Int. Cl E04b 5/52 [58] Field of Search 52/475, 476, 484, 483,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Helt 52/482 2,752,643 7/1956 Helt 52/482 2,979,789 4/1961 Laperouse 52/482 I FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 196,598 8/1959 Austria 52/545 OTHER PUBLICATIONS German Printed Application 1049,562 to Paulssen l-l959.

Primary Examiner-John E. Murtagh [5 7] ABSTRACT A conventional corrugated deck material is used with many roof structures. A hook structure is provided on a conventional suspension runner for a suspended ceiling system. This hook structure engages the flutes of the corrugated roof deck to hold the suspension runner in position. The suspended ceiling system is then fastened to the suspension runners.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DIRECT ATTACHMENT OF ACOUSTICAL SUSPENSION RUNNERS TO METAL DECK ROOF BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention herein is directed to a ceiling structure and, more particularly, to an attachment technique for the suspension runners to fasten suspension runners to an overlying roof deck system.

2. Description of the Prior Art There is commercially available on the open market a fluted metal deck which is sold by H. H. Robertson Company under their trade name QL-99. This roof deck system contains a plurality of flutes and along both edges of the bottom of each flute there is provided ridges. It is to these ridges that the invention herein is meant to cooperate with to form a mounting structure for the direct attachment of a suspension runner to the Robertson roof deck.

U. S. Pat. No. 1,780,707 discloses a building structure wherein panels 5 are hooked into the flange structure of overlying ceiling beam structures. U. S. Pat. No. 3,l75,656 discloses a ceiling structure wherein a ceiling panel is hooked into a resilient runner structure to permit the ceiling panel to be supported in position in the ceiling structure.

Normally, in the prior art, suspension wires are hooked to an overlying roof deck system and on the ends of the suspension wires there is positioned main runner structures which extend over the full expanse of a roof. Fastened to the main runner structures, there are placed a plurality of suspension runners running at a 90 angle thereto. To these suspension runners there is fastened the ceiling panels which form the suspended ceiling system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention herein consists of a modification to a conventional suspension runner to permit the direct attachment of the suspension runner to the Robertson roof deck. Normal suspension runners are made with either a C or a Z cross section configuration. On one leg of the C or Z there is positioned the ceiling panel.

On the other leg of the C or Z there are provided hooks which will engage the ridges of the Robertson roof deck to permit the direct attachment of the suspension runner to the Robertson roof deck. Installation is carried out by a simple twisting motion which will permit the slipping of the hook structures into the ridges of the Robertson roof deck or, if the hook structures are resilient, they may be'snapped into the ridges of the Robertson roof deck.

The invention herein provides for the elimination of the use of suspension wires and main runners for fastening the suspension runners of a ceiling system in position relative to the roof deck structure of a room.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. III is a side view of a modification of the hook structure;

FIG. IV is an end view of one type of suspension runner with one type of hook structure; and

FIG. V is an end view of another type of suspension runner with the other type of hook structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The H. H. Robertson Company manufactures a fluted metal deck which they sell under the trade name Old-99. This particular fluted floor or roof deck is shown in FIG. I as element 2. The fluted roof deck is actually a corrugated metal structure which has a series of flutes 4 which have their bottoms 6 extending in one common plane. The flutes are uniformly spaced approximately 12 inches apart and have therebetween gaps 8. Along the bottom edges of the flutes there are provided ridges 10 with the ridges of two adjacent flutes 6 facing each other across the gap 8. The flutes are provided in the metal deck for the purpose of keying to the roof deck the concrete which is poured upon the upper surface of the Robertson roof deck 2.

The invention herein takes advantage of the existence of the ridges l0 and their position on either side of the flutes 4 and the fact that two adjacent flutes have their ridges 10 facing each other across the gap 8. As shown in FIG. I, a suspension runner I2 is fastened to the Robertson roof deck. This suspension runner in turn supports the ceiling panels 14 which form the suspended ceiling of the roof structure. The invention herein is directed specifically to the structures utilized to fasten the suspension runners 12 to the Robertson roof deck 2.

FIG. II shows one embodiment of a hook structure which is utilized to fasten a suspension runner 12 to the Robertson roof deck 2. Two adjacent flutes 4 have ridges 10 facing each other across the gap 8.Suspension runner I2 is placed up against the bottom 6 of the two adjacent flutes 4 and the hook structures 16 fasten the suspension runner 12 to the Robertson roof deck 2. The hooks 16 of the suspension runner 12 are engaged in the two adjacent ridges 10 to hold the suspension runner in position. In the embodiment shown in FIG. II, the hook structures are formed by stamping two tabs out of the top flange of the suspension runner and bending the two hooks formed from the tabs in an outward direction upwardly from the top flange of the suspension runner 12. If the hooks 16 are formed from a metal which is partially or completely resilient, the suspension runner 12 can be placed in position by simply snapping the two hooks into position in the ridges 10. An upward pressure upon the suspension runner 12 will cause the ends of the hooks to override the edge of the flutes 4 and permit the ends of the hooks to snap into ridges 10. If the hooks 16 are not formed of a resilient material, a suspension runner can simply be placed at a slight angle relative to the width dimension of the gap 8 and then, by a slight twisting motion, the hooks 16 can be engaged in the ridges l0.

FIG. IV is an end view of a suspension runner l2 having formed therein the hook structure 16 of FIG. II. The suspension runner of FIG. IV is termed a C runner in that the runner is basically a C configuration in cross-section. The upper flange 18 has formed therein the hook structure 16. This hook structure is formed by simply cutting a tab out of the flange structure 16. Three sides of the tab are cut out leaving the fourth side in position to hold the tab relative to the flange 18. The tab is then bent outwardly from the flange 18 and formed into the hook configuration shown in FIG. II.

On the other flange 20 of the C-shaped suspension runner of FIG. IV, there is positioned the ceiling board 14. Conventional ceiling boards have a kerf structure in the side of the ceiling board and the flange 20 slides into this kerf configuration to hold the ceiling board in position relative to the suspension runner 12.

In FIG. Ill, there is shown another modification of the hook structure in position relative to the Robertson roof deck. The hook structure 22 of FIG. III is likewise formed from the top flange of a suspension runner 12. However, the embodiment shown in FIG. III has no resiliency in the hook structure and this suspension runner hook structure can be mounted in position only by an angled positioning of the suspension runner relative to the gap 8 and then a twisting of the suspension runner to cause the hooks 22 to engage the ridges 10.

In FIG. V, there is shown an end view of a suspension runner 12 containing the hook configuration 22 of FIG. Ill. The hook configuration of FIG. III is formed by cutting, in the top flange 24 of a suspension runner, a wedge-shaped structure. Three sides of the tab which forms the hooks 22 are cut out from the flange 24, the fourth side being used to hold the tab 22 relative to the flange 24. In FIG. V, the suspension runner 12 therein is formed with a different cross-section than that shown in FIG. IV. In FIG. V,the cross-section of the suspension runner is referred to as a Z runner structure. The flange 24 contains the hooks which engage the ridges of the Robertson roof deck. The flange 26 is used to engage kerfs in two adjacent ceilingpanels to hold both ceiling panels in position.

These suspension runners 12 are best formed in approximately 36" lengths with two hook structures on each suspension runner. The hook structures will be positioned approximately at the center of the suspension runner and will permit the suspension runner to be mounted between two flutes of a Robertson roof deck. The ends of the suspension runner will extend beyond the two adjacent flutes into the gap area on either side of the two adjacent flutes. A second suspension runner would then be mounted in position in the fourth gap 8 spaced from the gap containing the first mounted suspension member 12. Consequently, the suspended ceiling system is held in position by a series of short suspendeck of the roof structure. This completely eliminates the need for suspension wires and main runners to fassion runners which are mounted directly'to the roof 5 ten the suspension runners in position relative to the structural roof which is formed from the Robertson roof deck 2.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination of a building structure roof component and a ceiling system wherein the structural roof of the building is formed with a fluted roof or floor deck structure which is a corrugated type structure having a plurality of parallel extending flutes with their bottoms in a single plane andhaving therebetween a plurality of gaps, along both edges of the bottom of each flute there are positioned ridges which form recessed surfaces facing towards said gaps, the combination therewith of a suspension runner for a suspended ceiling system, said suspension runner being a twoflange structure, the lower flange being used to hold a conventional ceiling panel, a conventional ceiling panel being positioned on the suspension runner flange, the second flange of the suspension runner overlying the first flange of the suspension runner and having formed therein at least two hook structures which engage the ridges of the corrugated fluted roof or floor deck structure to fasten the suspension runner to the structural roof of the building.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the suspension runners may be of a generally C configuration wherein the upper flange has formed therein the hook structures which engage the ridges of the corrugated fluted roof.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the suspension runners may be of a generally Z configuration wherein the upper flange has formed therein the hook structures which engage the ridges of the corrugated fluted roof.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the hooks of the suspension runners are formed by bending a tab out from the flange of the suspension runner and forming the tab into a resilient hook structure wherein the edge of the hook structure engages the ridge of the structural elements.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the hooks of the suspension runners are formed by cutting from the upper flange of the suspension runner a nonresilient, plate-like hook element which engages the ridge of the structural elements. 

1. The combination of a building structure roof component and a ceiling system wherein the structural roof of the building is formed with a fluted roof or floor deck structure which is a corrugated type structure having a plurality of parallel extending flutes with their bottoms in a single plane and having therebetween a plurality of gaps, along both edges of the bottom of each flute there are positioned ridges which form recessed surfaces facing towards said gaps, the combination therewith of a suspension runner for a suspended ceiling system, said suspension runner being a two-flange structure, the lower flange being used to hold a conventional ceiling panel, a conventional ceiling panel being positioned on the suspension runner flange, the second flange of the suspension runner overlying the first flange of the suspension runner and having formed therein at least two hook structures which engage the ridges of the corrugated fluted roof or floor deck structure to fasten the suspension runner to the structural roof of the building.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the suspension runners may be of a generally C configuration wherein the upper flange has formed therein the hook structures which engage the ridges of the corrugated fluted roof.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the suspension runners may be of a generally Z configuration wherein the upper flange has formed therein the hook structures which engage the ridges of the corrugated fluted roof.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the hooks of the suspension runners are formed by bending a tab out from the flange of the suspension runner and forming the tab into a resilient hook structure wherein the edge of the hook structure engages the ridge of the structural elements.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the hooks of the suspension runners are formed by cutting from the upper flange of the suspension runner a nonresilient, plate-like hook element which engages the ridge of the structural elements. 